Rugged cliffs, dramatic weather, insane light, sheep on the road and more than two hands full of incredibly picturesque and mind blowing locations to escape every day life and capture stunning photographs - this is the Isle of Skye in Scotland - my favorite place in Europe?

With this list I want to give you a short overview of some of my favorite locations on Skye. I have spent almost 3 weeks in total photographing Skye in every season. We stayed at cheap backpacker hostels or pitched our tent in the wilderness (wild camping is allowed in Scotland!) and I can arguably say that the Isle of Skye is my personal top 3 landscape photography locations of all time.

PS: All the images I am sharing here with you guys have been taken with my old Sony A6000 with an APSC sensor and the 12mm Samyang F2.0 lens.

Neist Point

There's no doubt that this is the most beautiful location on the island to witness a spectacular sunset - if the weather is on your side. Neist Point is fantastic. It's unique and one of these places where I could stay for hours just listening to the sound of the ocean and seeing the sun dip down below the horizon.

I want to share a few things about each location which you have to consider as a landscape photographer.

Parking: spacious parking lot at the main spot.

Walking distance to the spot: 5 minutes

Gear: 16-35 mm lens, ND filters, STURDY tripod

Time to visit: Sunset

The Old Man of Storr

Arguably my favorite location on the whole island. The Old Man of Storr is an unbelievable place which immediately lets you think of the Lord of the Rings or any other epic fantasy movie. I want to quote Paul G. Johnson - a YouTuber and great guy, who couldn't have summed up the location any better:

[...the rock formation is awesome and it makes a good focal point but its where its set, its light as it falls on the hillside around the Old Man of Storr and the cliff behind it - and the light as it hits the Old Man itself and then your midground interest and your background interest with the loch and the sea and the Cuillin Mountains behind. It all makes for an almost perfect vista. One of a handful of vistas in the world which has got every component that's needed to be perfect...]

Parking: big parking lot at the bottom

Walking to the location: 45 minute strenous hike up to the top

Gear: 16-35mm lens, STURDY tripod, hiking boots

Time to visit: Sunrise

The Fairy Pools

When I first saw an image from this particular location I am sharing with you here I couldn't believe my own eyes. The Fairy Pools are a set of waterfalls which you can all spot from the hiking trail. The falls are immensely beautiful and are even prettier in real life than what you see on the photos.

Parking: big parking lot at top of the pools

Walking to the location: easy 20 minute walk down to the pools from the parking lot

Gear: 16-35mm lens, tripod, hiking boots, ND filter, CPL Filter!

Time to visit: throughout the day but best in the evening

The Quiraing

Wow. This location blew my mind. Raw nature at it's best and heaven for landscape photography. The Quiraing offers spectacular views in nearly every direction and experiencing a sunrise up here should be on every travelers bucket list.

Parking: parking lot at the top of the Quiraing

Walking to the location: the main viewpoints are just about a 15-30 minute walk away from the car park - you can do more hiking up here which I'd definitely recommend

Gear: 16-35mm lens, sturdy tripod, hiking boots

Time to visit: throughout the day but best in the morning and particularly for SUNRISE

Sligachan Bridge

When I first passed this bridge I wasn't even sure why there are so many people actually standing on it, holding a camera and/or taking selfies with their phones. When I looked closer I realized that this bridge is actually an old stone bridge with the Cuillin Mountains in the background and some other prominent hills just beside it. Sligachan Bridge is an easy spot to photograph which you shouldn't miss out when traveling to Skye.

Parking: just at the side of the road

Walking to the location: 2 minutes from the car

Gear: 16-35mm lens, sturdy tripod, ND Filters, CPL

Time to visit: throughout the day

The Fairy Glen

If there's a location I can recommend to experience a great sunset I would say Fairy Glen is the place to go. It is relatively hidden and not as easy to find as all the other spots but with some navigation skills and Google Maps it shouldn't be a problem. If you find it you will be rewarded by a place which couldn't be more enchanting.

The views down towards Castle Ewen (which is the rock formation in the image) and the mystic stone circle in the foreground during sunset will let you forget about everything else, I promise. (PS: Don't forget a head net during the summer months! Midges are eating you alive here.)

Parking: at the side of the road, near some old containers

Walking to the location: 15-20 minutes from the car

Gear: 16-35mm lens, tripod, midge repellent, midge head net!

Time to visit: Sunset

Talisker Bay

Talisker Bay is an amazing spot to practice seascape photography. The waves are constantly rolling in, the tide is descending and ascending and with these big black rocks you've got an amazing foreground to work with. I highly recommend you to visit this place for sunset because the sky can catch awesome color. Talisker Bay is also not a place where you would find a lot of people which will give you enough space to get an awesome image.

Parking: just at the very end of the road before you can't go any further

Walking to the location: 20-30 minutes from the car

Gear: 16-35mm lens, tripod, ND Filters, CPL

Time to visit: Sunset

Mealt Falls

Mealt Falls is a pretty spectacular sight but unfortunately you must stick to that one composition (unless you head down to the rocky beach which I don't know how). If you want to take a long exposure image you've gotta make sure your tripod is high enough or you bring a gorilla pod which you can mount to the railing. I have seen a few images at night time with a feint aurora display at the horizon so if you've got clear nights I could recommend giving it a try.

Parking: at the car park

Walking to the location: literally 1 minute from the car park

Gear: 16-35mm lens, tripod, gorilla pod, ND filters, CPL

Time to visit: any time of the day but preferably avoid peak times

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle is one of the many epic castles in Scotland and definitely one of the prettiest. It is incredibly picturesque and can be shot from a few different angles in all sorts of weather conditions depending on what the day is like in your case. I can highly recommend you to go there early or late in the evening because otherwise you won't be alone. Be aware that the castle is not located ON the Isle of Skye but you'll pass it just before Skye Bridge.

Parking: at the car park

Walking to the location: literally 1 minute from the car park

Gear: 16-35mm lens, tripod, ND filters, CPL

Time to visit: sunrise and sunset - avoid the afternoon because it's full of people

At the beginning I asked myself the question, whether the Isle of Skye is my favorite place in Europe or not?!

Summary

The Isle of Skye is an absolute must for people visiting Scotland. Edinburgh, Loch Ness and the Cairngorms might be areas you are more interested in but I highly suggest you to pay the legendary Isle of Skye a visit - perhaps for more than 3 days.

If you'd ask me which of all these locations is my favorite I would say it's the Old Man of Storr. I have been to many breathtaking places in the world but none of them impressed me as much as these incredible rock formations.

Please check out my other destination guides below:

Rugged cliffs, dramatic weather, insane light, sheep on the road and more than two hands full of incredibly picturesque and mind blowing locations to escape every day life and capture stunning photographs - this is the Isle of Skye in Scotland

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